Computer Science Education as an industry is at an interesting junction. On the one hand we have entertainers, basketball players and billionaires telling everyone that they need to learn to code, while on the other hand, Computer Science classes are not really part of our nations K-12 science curriculum. As a result, one of the major challenges facing the United States today is how we train and re-train an entire population to become Computer Science literate. The computing community in the U.S. faces three significant and interrelated challenges in its workforce development: CSEd as become a national imperative that we have to solve at scale, as a result, entrepreneurs have stepped into the space and are creating compelling businesses that address the problem.
What makes this problem interesting is that Computer Science has two sides, the knowledge of computational thinking and the skill of programming. When most people think of Computer Science, they are thinking of Programming. This in my opinion is what most Coding Bootcamps focus on. They train participants to become somewhat proficient at writing code. They are justified in focusing on programming as they can create an entry point into the Technology field for adults that would like join the field in a technical capacity.
A cursory survey of the CSEd landscape will see a paucity of programs addressing the knowledge of computational thinking. This is a bigger challenge that entrepreneurs have not addressed yet. Perhaps they are wise not to make this the focus of their businesses. While it is plausible that one can learn to program in a short span, it is virtually impossible to learn to become a Computer Scientist in less than a few years. It is for this reason that the lay public needs to understand the difference between a Computer Scientist and a programmer.
In terms of the corporate CSEd, we are beginning to see an increase in corporation creating their own coding academies for their employees. Companies like Google, Facebook, Twitter and Thoughtworks Inc have what I call practical Computer Science intro bootcamps. This space is only going to continue to grow, as this corporation begin to understand that they have to pay for existing employees to get continue education in Computer Science.
Another interesting challenge facing CSEd is the need to train both adults and children in Computer Science. A program that works for a 13 year old girl, will not work for a 40 year old man. Because of the broad spectrum of people who need the knowledge there needs to be a clear delineation in the market place between a workforce curriculum and those that are not.
I would be remise if I did not make a point of the severe under-representation of females and people of color in the existing Computer Science community. As a result, a new space as emerged in CSEd that focuses on decreasing under-representation in CS. The players in this space often are non-profits that run after school programs that introduce Computer Science to the younger generation. Notable among this list are organizations like Black Girls Code, Girl Develop it, She ++, Technovation challenge to name a few. However, even in this space a lot more work has to be done to create a more diverse environment. For instance, African American and Latino males often get left out of this space as there are not that many Computer Science programs targeted towards them. Furthermore, if you happen to be a upper middle class girl of color, you might end up being an extreme minority in many of the programs designed for girls in Computer Science.